Advocacy groups blast ‘hybrid’ Web rules

Dozens of left-leaning, civil liberties and public interest groups are forcefully opposing what they see as a flawed Federal Communications Commission attempt to write new rules for the Internet. Supporters of strong network neutrality regulations -- which seek to ensure that all Internet traffic is treated equally -- sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler warning against a “hybrid” plan reportedly under consideration.

The proposal is a “convoluted proposal for new rules that jeopardizes the agency’s ability to protect all Internet users,” wrote more than 60 groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Demand Progress and MoveOn.org. “This is not what the public wants or what President Obama promised the American public.” The groups warned that the plan is “unlikely to survive litigation.”